“There is a tendency to underestimate how intensely distressing and disabling loss usually is and for how long the distress, and often the disablement, commonly lasts…There is a tendency to suppose that a normal healthy person can and should get over a bereavement not only fairly rapidly but also completely. But, loss of a loved person is one of the most intensely painful experiences any human being can suffer.”

– John Bowlby, Loss, Sadness, and Depression

The provision of compassionate, and, culturally responsive therapy for African American adults in states of distress in response to the death of a loved one days, weeks, months, or years after the loss, is my goal. My supportive, structured, integrative approach to grief and bereavement therapy is informed by my studies of trauma, grief and bereavement, my own experience with traumatic loss, and, my religious, spiritual, and, holistic wellness studies and practices. It includes: (1) Somatic and DBT informed body movement and ecotherapy techniques; and mindfulness, distress tolerance, and, emotion regulation skills development; (2) CBT informed emotional processing; and, (3) practices from the Black Church religious/spiritual tradition.

If you are experiencing one or more of the following in response to the death of a loved one, my supportive grief and bereavement therapy services may help you to expand, deepen, and strengthen your current coping practices:

PHYSICAL (BODILY & MOVEMENT) REACTIONS

Chest pain

Headache

Change in appetite

Heart palpitations

Back pain

Weight change

Shortness of breath

Stomach pain

Sleep issues

Tightness in throat

Nausea

Fatigue

Lightheadedness

Diarrhea

Restlessness

Dizziness

Constipation

Easily startled

SENSATION & PERCEPTION REACTIONS

Flashbacks of loved one’s death

Sense of unreality

Aimless feeling (trance-like state)

Hypervigilance

Nightmares

EMOTIONAL REACTIONS

Fear

Helplessness

Numbness/Flat affect

Anxiety

Meaninglessness

Panic

Emotional lability

Vulnerability

Irritability

Abandonment

Guilt

Feeling of emptiness

Anger

COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL REACTIONS

Self-harm attempt/ideation

Difficulty concentrating

Preoccupation with one’s own death

Slowed thinking

Avoiding places associated with loved one’s death

Forgetfulness

Avoiding talk of loved one’s death

Disbelief

Desire to retell story of loved one’s death

Denial

Self blame

Lowered self esteem

SOCIAL REACTIONS

Avoiding others

Disinterest in activities

Withdrawn

Lack of initiative

Hypersensitive

Socially hyperactive

Clingy

Relationship conflict

Galatians 6:2 "Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."